


the risk i'm willing to take

by eternityowl



Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Kakegurui, Alternate Universe - Not K-Pop Idols, Angst, F/F, Gambling, Inspired by Kakegurui, LITERALLY, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, beomgyu is crazy, fluff??, itzy and txt are besties!!!!, taehyun is lowkey stupid
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:20:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27543730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eternityowl/pseuds/eternityowl
Summary: in a school full of gamblers, choi beomgyu is on top of the hierarchy. he's a cruel, crazy and compulsive gambler with tons of money and topnotcher skills. then one day, he encountered kang taehyun, a boy who has lost everything because of gambling.
Relationships: Choi Beomgyu/Kang Taehyun, Choi Soobin/Choi Yeonjun
Comments: 3
Kudos: 49





	1. 001

“Full house!”

_ Three jacks and a pair of kings. _

The raven-haired boy's eyes gleamed in excitement. “I have a royal flush.” His hand held 10, jack, queen, king and ace of spades.

The whole crowd yelled and cheered. Beomgyu has won another game and managed to snitch off a whooping 5 million won from his opponent.

“You're fucking terrible. Why did you challenge me just to lose?” Beomgyu spats at the student in front of him. He smiles wildly, which gave shivers to the loser's spine. “Thank you for the game, though. Please pay me as soon as possible or I'll come for your head.”

With that, Beomgyu stands up and dusts off his blazer before walking away from the crowd. His smile didn't fade.  _ Oh, what a great day.  _ He played a boring game of poker and won. Poker is just one of the games that will add to his pleasure. He has an addiction, an obsession to an activity called  _ gambling _ .

Beomgyu is a cruel gambler and he knows that. He enjoys seeing the terrified faces of other students whenever they play against him. He  _ loves  _ seeing them cry like madmen whenever they lose and turn into school slaves until they pay off their debts. 

Most students who challenged him just lost billions of money. Some were able to pay, but most of them became slaves of other students in the school. In their school, gambling is as important (or even more) as academics. In order to survive, you must know how to gamble, or you can pay tons of money to not get involved in gambling activities.

But Beomgyu isn't Beomgyu without gambling. Gambling is an essential part of his life. He grew up with gamblers and naturally, he learned and loved it. Luckily, he is smart and rich to enter a very prestigious school.  _ Alea Academy.  _ Funny that the academy's name also means gambling in Latin. 

He knows that Alea Academy is a lair of gamblers even before entering the school. His parents graduated from the same school and it made him look forward even more to enter. So right on his first day, he challenged random third year students and won lots of games.

Beomgyu smiles more to himself as he makes his way to the student council office. He was greeted by two highly important people of the school. 

_ The president, Choi Soobin, and the vice president, Choi Yeonjun. _

“I see you won another game,” Soobin says, his voice gentle as ever. He has blue hair and you will usually see him prancing around with his round, thin-framed glasses.

“I always win,” Beomgyu smugly answers as he sits on his respective chair. 

Yeonjun kept quiet as he watched the younger's actions. He's an observer and can read people by just looking through what they do. Despite being a man of few words, he still stands out because of his cotton candy pink hair.

In Alea Academy, being a part of the student council isn't like a normal election. Of course it has to be won through gambling. Another way is by donating a large amount of money to the student council. The president can also choose his officers.

Soobin became the president when he challenged the former president in a game of blackjack. Most students believed that he would lose because of how timid he was back then. He looked like he's gonna cower in fear when the game started. Obviously, he won. 

Yeonjun, who was already the vice president that time, remained in his position because Soobin is kind enough to not kick him out. Plus, Yeonjun looks beautiful for Soobin's eyes and he chose to see that face everyday. Let's not tell Yeonjun about that, though.

Beomgyu, on the other hand, became an officer when Soobin offered him a position as the treasurer. He immediately accepted the offer, knowing how much power the student council holds. Beomgyu is responsible enough to keep the school funds and the council trusts him with that despite being a very compulsive gambler. It's not like Beomgyu uses the funds. He has his own money for his pleasure.

_ If Beomgyu is a monster, then both Soobin and Yeonjun are his equals. _

“How much did the student owe you?” Yeonjun asks, opening a laptop that contains files about Alea Academy's students.

“Five million won.” Beomgyu grins. 

“That's quite a lot,” Soobin remarks, his eyes never leaving the book he is reading.

“I assume the debt made his rank a lot lower.”

“Yes. He is now ranked tenth from the last.”

Beomgyu snickers. He loves the feeling of making others suffer because of his victory. He likes it when he sees students getting kicked or ordered around because they are just  _ slaves _ . Five million won isn't a lot for him, but that student he played against is already a slave and has even more debts. His loss against Beomgyu made things worse.

The youngest scans the almost empty room. “Hyungs, where are the other officers, by the way?”

Yeonjun looks at him. “Are you not even aware that there are also ongoing classes?”

“Then why are you here?”

“We're already in our third year. We don't take many classes now.”

“Lia noona and Yeji noona aren't here with you, though.”

Soobin chuckles. “They are probably gambling or just on a date somewhere in the school. You can just stay here if you want.”

Beomgyu decided not to go back to classes. It's not like he'll get scolded. He's a student council officer. He has more power than the teachers. He entered the school for gambling, not for his studies. He doesn't need to attend all his classes. He's confident that he has the brains to pass even without trying.

Just by sitting down, he feels the urge to take out all the money he has and use them for pleasure. His hands felt clammy and itchy, as if they were burning. Beomgyu felt uneasy without gambling. His mind somehow tells him,  _ “Be an even crazier gambler, that's who you are _ . _ ” _

Beomgyu finally decides to take out a new deck of cards from his pocket as his lips curl into a coy smile. He turns to the two older boys with him and says, “Shall we play a game?”

  
  
  



	2. 002

“Fucking hell.” He stands up from the ground, his whole body aching due to the blows he received earlier.

The students who beat the shit out of him finally got tired of him and left him alone, lying on the ground in pain. His legs are sore and he might be walking around the school like a handicap. Taehyun could've sworn that his nose is busted again this time.

Taehyun makes a painful run to the school's infirmary to get his wounds treated. On his way, some students gave him disgusted stares and even whispered things about him. Taehyun knows he looks like an abandoned ragged doll. His uniform is almost tattered and his face is adorned with his own blood. He sighs in relief when he finds out that the infirmary doesn't have any other person inside aside from the nurse. He can be hidden from all the shame he's feeling.

“Why are you always here, Taehyun?” the nurse asks as she motions Taehyun to sit down on one of the beds. She looks genuinely concerned for the boy. “Are you not getting tired?”

Taehyun sighs. “It's not like I can do anything about it. I'm a slave. If they want to beat the shit out of me, I cannot complain.”

The nurse looks at him in pity and proceeds on tending Taehyun's wound. The nurse knows everything that happens in Alea Academy, but can't do anything. The teachers and staff of the school have no power against the student council. They are just display, some kind of pawn for the council. 

“Have you ever thought of transferring to another school? This school is run by sharks,” the nurse says as she dabs some ointment on Taehyun's bruises. “You cannot survive here without money.”

Taehyun doesn't say anything. As much as he wants to leave this hell of a school, he cannot. He's a scholar, someone chosen by Alea Academy to study in their prestigious institution. The school funds his studies in one condition; he must participate in gambling activities. Since it is very obvious that he participated and lost, Taehyun became a slave. At least he can still study and finish his high school.

_ Plus, even if he transfers to a different school, his debts will still chase him wherever he is. _

“I'm doing fine. I just need to hold on and endure.”

The nurse just nodded at him and continued to tend with his injuries. Fortunately, his pretty high-angled nose isn't busted. After all the treatment, another record of his name in the infirmary files and a few bumps to some students, he arrives at the restroom and checks on himself.

“I look like a piece of shit,” Taehyun mutters, grimacing at the sight of his unruly blonde hair, unkempt uniform and multiple band-aids on his face. 

How come he didn't bother to fix himself first before going out of the infirmary? Maybe because he doesn't want to be a burden to the nurse? Or maybe he was embarrassed about the fact that his name is always on the infirmary files?

“Look who we have here.”

Taehyun almost jumps in surprise when he hears an unfamiliar voice. With a pounding heart, he takes a glance and sees a mop of blue hair. There's only one person in the school who has blue hair and that is... the president of the student council.

Choi Soobin.

“P-president?” Taehyun cringed at how his voice went out as a squeak.

“You're Kang Taehyun, right?” Soobin questions.

“Y-yes.”

The president chuckles. “I understand why you're nervous around me. Don't worry, I don't bite. I just know you because you're that student who ranked last out of 540 people.”

Taehyun visibly flinched. He doesn't know if Soobin is mocking him or just  _ informing _ him. Of course the younger boy already knows that he is ranked 540 out of 540 students and he feels awful about it. He is piled with debts to some students as well as the student council. 

Soobin is somehow his opposite. He is one of the best gamblers in Alea Academy, proving that he suits the presidential position. This guy is rich as hell and has the elegance Taehyun will never have. Everyone in the student council came from rich families who can afford wasting money for gambling. Soobin's presence makes Taehyun feel smaller than he used to.

“You know,” Soobin trails off and scoots a little closer to Taehyun. “The student council is planning on placing life plans for students who are in the lowest ranks, especially to those who can't pay up.”

“Life plans?”

“Basically, your life will be planned ahead. It means that the student council will control whatever happens in your future.”

“W-what?” Taehyun asks, trying to see if he heard it right. The student council will fucking control the lives of students?

Soobin gives him a knowing smile. “If you don't want your life to be dictated by someone else, then find a way to gain what you lost or pay the student council.”

With that, Soobin exits the restroom with a shit eating grin on his face. Taehyun is almost frozen in his place. He is fucked up. If the student council continues that awful plan, then he's done. He felt bile rising up to his throat. What's the point of being a scholar if his life will just get planned ahead by some people he barely knows?

Did Soobin go to the restroom just to  _ personally  _ tell him that? He doesn't understand Soobin's purpose of suddenly appearing. He appeared just right when Taehyun was in his vulnerable state. Taehyun knows how awful the officers of the student council are. To say that Taehyun is scared of them is an understatement. All of them are  _ monsters _ . 

With a deep breath, Taehyun bolts out of the restroom, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. Once again, judgmental stares are given to him by students. If some of them tries to touch him, he pushes them away or forces his way out. He doesn't have time to deal with the fucking slavery. He feels so wrecked, like his whole world is crumbling.

His vision starts to get blurry, the tears he tried to hold back are already streaming down his face. How the hell will he pay the student council? He doesn't have a large amount of money to pay the stockpile of his debts. He's sure that his debt is already a hundred million won or even more! Taehyun just let his body move on its own until he reached the garden behind the school.

And there, he breaks down into tears, momentarily forgetting the dreadful world around him.

  
  
  



	3. 003

Soobin goes back to the student council room with a grin on his face. Beomgyu and Yeonjun gave him unamused looks. He sits down on his respective chair as Yeonjun starts to question him.

“You really went to the restroom just to scare the shit out of Kang Taehyun?” Yeonjun asks.

“How did you even know that I saw him?”

Yeonjun huffs. “I know you like the back of my hand, Soobin. When we were talking about the current rankings and possible life plans, you suddenly stood up and told us you'll go somewhere.”

“You even interrupted our game!” Beomgyu complains, a small pout forming on his lips.

“Oh, no.” Soobin waves his hand dismissively. “I actually went to patrol and Kang Taehyun happened to be in the restroom that time so I gave him some words of wisdom.”

“Words of wisdom? More like words of stupidity,” Beomgyu comments and snorts. Yeonjun laughs at this. “What did you tell him?”

Just when Soobin is about to speak, three girls enter the student council room. Beomgyu hollers and Yeonjun gives the girls a welcoming nod.

“Well, hello,” Soobin greets. “How was your date, Yeji and Lia?”

Lia chokes on her boba. “What the fuck, Soobin?!”

“Oh, you didn't go on a date?” Beomgyu butts in.

“They did go on a mini date. I saw them giving each other air kisses in the cafeteria,” a blonde girl says and laughs.

“Aish, Ryujin!” Another girl slaps the blonde girl, Ryujin, on her arm.

Yeonjun shakes his head. “What are you doing here, Yeji, Lia and Ryujin?”

Yeji sits on her chair. “We just want to see our favorite boys, duh.”

Hwang Yeji, a third year student, is the student council's Head of Public Relations. This means she's in charge of associating with other students in terms of announcements and all the shit in between.

Soobin rolls his eyes. “Favorite boys, my ass. Just tell us that you're too lazy to attend classes.” Then he eyes Ryujin and Beomgyu. “Especially you two. You're still in your second year. Second year is even more hectic than third year.”

“I agree. I remember crying out of nowhere because I can't jumble my responsibilities in student council, academics and other  _ important _ extracurricular activities,” Yeonjun adds.

“Yes. You looked ugly when you cried on me last year.”

“Shut up, Yeji. This isn't about me.”

Ryujin, or Shin Ryujin, laughs loudly before sitting in a chair next to Beomgyu. “I'm a genius. I don't need to study that much just to pass.”

“Oi, precious cousin, be careful. Your head might explode,” Beomgyu jokes. Yes, Ryujin is one of his cousins. This is one of the many reasons why Soobin picked her as the auditor of the student council and Beomgyu's partner in keeping the money.

“You're just jealous because I'm smart and you're not.”

“Oh, shut up, Ryu. We all know that I'm better than you.”

“You shut up, Gyu. I am Grandpa's favorite grandchild!”

“Who told you that? I am his favorite!”

Lia smacked the back of Ryujin and Beomgyu's heads. “I am the favorite.”

Choi Jisu, also known as Lia, is Beomgyu's older sister and Ryujin's cousin. She is the student council's secretary. She isn't the typical secretary who usually sticks on the president's side. That's Yeonjun's job as the vice president. Lia writes down and keeps everything that happens in the school.

“Unnie, no!”

“That's not true, noona!”

“You three are so chaotic. I don't know how your relatives keep up with your stupidity,” Yeji comments.

**“Council.”**

Suddenly, Lia shuffles back to her seat, both Ryujin and Beomgyu sit properly, and Yeonjun and Yeji lean a bit on the table from their seats. Soobin stood up from his seat as all attention was given to him. The student council knows the time when they have to behave and act normally, and this is one of those times. 

“I'm sure you are aware that we  _ might _ be placing down life plans, right?” Soobin asks. He earns a collective 'yes' from the council.

“How about we start that tomorrow?”

Yeonjun whips his head towards the president. “Soobin, are you insane? We need to plan that for a little longer.”

“Yeah. We can't act on a whim,” Yeji adds.

“We have all day,” the blue-haired boy says as he walks around the conference table of the council. “Where is Yuna, by the way?”

“The last time I checked, she still has a class,” Lia replies.

“Isn't she classmates with Kang Taehyun? I think I saw that guy running off somewhere earlier.”

“Ryu, Yuna is still in her first year. Kang Taehyun is a second year, in class Eternity,” Lia says after checking her laptop for Taehyun's profile. “How come you know his face, but you don’t know that you’re classmates?”

“He's my classmate and I don't even know?”

“That's what you get for having a short attention span.”

“Please shut up before I staple that mouth of yours, Beomgyu.”

“Oh, speaking of Kang Taehyun.” Soobin's mouth forms into a mischievous smile, his eyes turning darker than usual. Yeonjun shudders at this. He knows that if Soobin's face morphs into something like that, the president has something  _ special _ in his mind.

“What did you do this time, Soobin?”

Soobin tells the student council about his mini encounter with Taehyun. The council isn't that surprised that their president actually scared the shit out of Taehyun. Soobin has this aura that makes other students feel weak whenever he is around. 

“So that's why you want to push this life plan agenda,” Beomgyu points out, a lopsided grin forming on his handsome face. “That Kang Taehyun is...  _ interesting _ .”

“He is,” Soobin agrees. “His eyes looked so hopeless when I told him about it. It was like he already gave up, but I know he is more than that.”

“Soobin is really good at finding gems, don't you think so?” Yeonjun asks, looking at the student council officers.

“He's crazy,” Beomgyu comments. Soobin grins at that, fully acknowledging Beomgyu's statement.

“Thanks. I will get even crazier soon.”

The raven-haired boy smirks. “I can't wait.”

* * *

As he opens his eyes, Taehyun finds himself still in the garden. Apparently, he fell asleep after breaking down earlier. He sighs in relief, thinking he is lucky that no other student bothered him. Maybe the garden isn't really the students' favorite spot.

He stands up, groaning a bit because of his injuries, and dusts off the dirt from his uniform. Taehyun's face forms into a frown when he realizes that his polo shirt is already ruined. It could pass as a new rug for the school janitor to use in cleaning the laboratories.

He checks the time on his old digital watch, the numbers almost fading because he can't even replace its batteries. He huffs after knowing he already missed one morning and two afternoon classes and lunch time. Taehyun makes a run, not caring about his messy appearance and hunger.

Taehyun made it to the classroom safely. His classmates gave him weird stares, obviously disgusted by Taehyun's presence. As he reaches his desk, he notices how dirty the slaves are treated in their class. There are about four slaves in their class and all of them have vandalized desks and worst books.

_ “Look at him, he looks pathetic.”  _

_ "I cannot believe that a slave like you had the audacity to skip three classes." _

_ "You're lucky Ryujin isn't here." _

Taehyun wants to snort. Ryujin can't even remember her classmates' names, let alone know Taehyun. Plus, he already got a small fright from the student council president himself in the restroom. He's kind of sure that there are no scarier officers of the student council than Soobin.

Skipping classes isn't really uncommon in Alea Academy. Most students skip because they are gambling. Some students value gambling more than academics. Slaves also skip because some of them “serve” for students in higher ranks or others are just... somewhere.

Taehyun checks his things and squeals internally when he sees that his school bag is still intact, everything inside is safe. One of the few good things for slaves is that no one is allowed to touch their school bags that contain everything needed for studying. Despite being slaves, the student council considered that they entered the school to learn.

“Hey, Tae.”

Taehyun turns his head and sees his best friend, Hueningkai. He smiles as the taller sits on his desk table. 

“Why did you skip?” Kai asks. “I tried looking for you during lunch, but something came up and interrupted my search.”

“I got into some trouble,” Taehyun shortly explains. Kai scoffs at this. “Obviously. You look like a piece of shit right now.”

The blonde lightly chuckles. Then his eyes went on an accessory, not so prettily hanging on Kai's neck. It is a special necklace given to slaves. Yes, you read it right. For slaves. 

Both Taehyun and Kai are slaves. So much for being besties.

“How are you holding up? Being a newbie slave and all?” Taehyun questions, remembering that Kai became a slave just in their second year. Taehyun became one right in his first year.

“I can say I'm doing better than you,” the taller deadpans. “I don't come back to the classroom with bandages on my arms and some bloody smears.”

“You don't need to rub it on my face, Hyuka!”

“Not my fault that I literally tower over almost everyone in this school and they are afraid to do something bad to me.”

“Are you saying that I get beaten up because I'm short?”

Kai raises an eyebrow. “I never mentioned anything about your height.”

Taehyun playfully glares at his best friend. “I hate you.”

“No, you don't.”

The shorter slave sighs. “Yeah, I don't.”

The two continued to chat, still waiting for their last teacher to come. Taehyun suddenly remembers his encounter with Soobin and has the urge to tell his Kai about it. Kai is his best friend and of course, he wants to tell everything to him. It's just he doesn't want to scare Kai. That guy is innocent.

“Hey, Tae, are you okay?”

Taehyun snaps out of his trance when he hears Kai's voice. “Yeah, yeah, I'm okay. I'm just a bit tired and my body hurts like hell.”

Kai pouts. “I hope I was there to help you.”

“You don't have to. As much as possible, please stay out of trouble. Your rank is a lot higher than mine and I'm sure students won't bother you as much as they do to me.”

“But still – ”

“I'll be fine, Kai,” Taehyun assures his best friend.

So Taehyun decides  _ not _ to tell Kai about Soobin. Maybe Soobin is just trying to scare him,  _ right _ ? He already heard rumors about Soobin and most of them are positive feedbacks. They say that the student council president is quiet, kind and gentle, as if he won't even break a porcelain plate. They've never seen or heard Soobin get mad at something or someone. Taehyun thinks that Soobin still has some  _ mercy _ for slaves. After all, he's the one who implemented the safety of the slaves' personal things.

Minutes passed and the teacher finally arrived. Kai shuffles back to his seat away from Taehyun and the latter tries to make himself look a little more decent. 

“The faculty was recently informed that the student council is having an important meeting right now. There will be possible changes starting tomorrow.”

Taehyun's breath hitches. He may look composed outside, but he's actually panicking. What if the student council is already talking about the life plans that Soobin told him earlier? He wants to throw up. Is the student council really  _ that  _ cruel?

The class started and throughout the whole period, Taehyun is spacing out. He’s thinking of everything that could possibly happen to him if the student council actually implemented those life plans. For sure lots of students will scramble around to make up for their debts and avoid the worst. Taehyun knows to himself that he  _ cannot _ pay. He’s too poor for this academy and the only thing that keeps him alive is his scholarship. 

The only way to avoid the life plan is through the thing he hates the most,  **gambling** .

“Kang Taehyun.”

The blonde comes back to reality and remembers that he’s still in class.

“Y-yes?” Taehyun manages to squeak out. He’s not scared of the teacher. It’s just he was startled by the teacher’s voice.

“What is the sine of 34 degrees?” the teacher asks. “No use of a calculator.”

All the attention goes to Taehyun. Everyone is expecting him to answer the question correctly. Despite being a slave, their class acknowledges his intelligence. Another reason why his classmates always force him to answer their homeworks.

“It’s 0.559192903 or 0.56 if rounded to two decimal places.”

The teacher looks satisfied. “Correct. Thank you for giving the exact value.”

Some students even checked the answer through a calculator, obviously not believing that Taehyun answered correctly. These students can beat up Taehyun, but they should never doubt his brain. And even as a genius, Kang Taehyun has a very fatal flaw. He can’t gamble for shit. Exactly the reason why he is in a very critical rank.

The class ended in a blur. Before leaving, the teacher even smiled at him and praised him for knowing some trigonometry stuff without using a very much needed calculator. Their other classmates also started to leave and left the slaves to clean the room.

Taehyun notices a significant person in class and he is confused why that person isn’t even leaving.

“Chaeryeong noona? What are you still doing here?”

The said girl smiles at Taehyun. “I just want to help in cleaning the classroom.”

Lee Chaeryeong is a very smart girl. She can be referred to as the female version of Taehyun. Their only difference is that Chaeryeong can gamble and she has the skills that makes her rank higher than most of the students of Alea Academy. She is also really friendly that’s why both Taehyun and Hueningkai feel comfortable around her.

“You aren't even a slave.”

“No, it's fine,” Chaeryeong insists. “I'm not really in a rush.”

Taehyun decides to just let the older student do what she wants. It's not like he can still stop Chaeryeong. The girl already started sweeping, not giving Taehyun any chance to argue.

The slaves clean for a while until they are satisfied with the classroom's state. They even asked Chaeryeong if she thinks that the room looks good already. Being the kind girl she is, she never said anything rude and just praised the slaves for cleaning.

Taehyun is internally hoping that there are more students who are sent by the heavens, just like Chaeryeong.

“Thank you for the help, Chaeryeong noona,” Kai says as he finally locks the door of their classroom. He is the one assigned for the task this week. 

“You're welcome,” the girl replies, her eyes forming into crescents.

The three head to the first floor so they can finally go home. Chaeryeong suddenly stops walking, also Taehyun and Kai not long after. 

“Noona?”

“Wanna eat with me in the cafeteria?” Taehyun is about to reject the offer, but Chaeryeong speaks again. “My treat.”

“Uh…”

First of all, eating with someone in a high rank is a little ridiculed in the academy. Slaves don’t eat with those people they ‘serve’. They sit on a different table, away from everyone. They only sit on the same table as the higher rank students if they are ordered to do so or if they are close friends with them. In Alea Academy, it is a pretty rare scenario.

“You’ll be fine. If someone asks you why you’re with me, I can easily tell them we’re close friends. Besides, you’re really the only people I talk to here.”

“Uh, okay. Sure,” Kai declares. “Just because you said it’s your treat.”

Both Chaeryeong and Taehyun laugh at this. Of course Kai will never refuse food, especially if it’s someone’s treat. Chaeryeong ordered three cheeseburgers and a large set of fries for them to share.

“You have an older sister, noona?”

“Yeah, she's in third year, class Star,” Chaeryeong replies to Taehyun's question. “How about you? Do you have siblings?”

Kai snorts. “I have two sisters, but both are not studying here.”

“Why is that?”

“They don't like the school system,” the youngest says. “Plus, I won't really like it if they're here. They won’t survive.” Both Taehyun and Chaeryeong know what Kai means by that.

Taehyun sighs. “Good thing they’re not here. Why did you even enter this school? Why not just join your sisters?”

“You both know that this school has rich brats, right?” Kai’s voice sounds hesitant, but he continues. “I was forced to come here because my parents thought I can get connections from other students for business purposes.”

“That’s fucked up,” the only girl with them comments. She knows that most students of the academy are from wealthy families, but she didn’t initially think that some parents would make their kids enter a school like this just for business purposes. “The only reason why Chaeyeon unnie and I entered Alea Academy is because this is near our house. Our parents let us choose our school.”

“Do your parents know you’re a slave here, Kai?” the blonde asks.

Kai shakes his head. “Nope. I never told anyone in our household. They don’t need to know. Besides, I can slowly climb my way up to the ranks.”

Taehyun’s eyebrows furrows at that. How can Kai rise up in ranks when he is also  _ poor _ in gambling? The blonde ponders for a few moments.  _ No. That’s weird.  _ Taehyun hasn’t seen Kai gamble despite being best friends for two years. He doesn’t even know how Kai became a slave!

“Kai,” Taehyun calls out. “How did you become a slave again?”

“I lost in a very important game,” the youngest answers, his breathing somehow a bit ragged. “The stakes weren't that high, but it still took a great toll on my rank.”

Chaeryeong swallows some fries before speaking. “Why don't you just pay for your debt? Ask your parents for some money.”

“I won't use my parents' money to pay.” Kai sneers a bit. “My pride won't allow that.”

“You're a tough one,” Taehyun remarks, in which Chaeryeong wholeheartedly agrees.

Kai suddenly turns to Taehyun and lightly punches the latter's shoulder. “Enough of me! How about you, Tae? We've been besties for almost two years, but I don't even know shit about your family.”

Taehyun frowns a bit. He doesn't like talking about his family. They don't even care about him. “Let's just say that I got every fucked up DNA from my family,” he shortly explains.

Both Kai and Chaeryeong noticed Taehyun's expression. They understood that the other boy isn't fond of his family so they decided not to push further anymore. The three just continued to chat, talking about the most random things they could come up.

“Do you know shit about the student council?” Chaeryeong suddenly asks. Taehyun visibly tries hard not to flinch at the question. Kai noticed this, but decided not to meddle to it. Maybe he can ask Taehyun about it next time.

The youngest just turns to Chaeryeong to answer her question. “I haven’t encountered any of them aside from Ryujin noona.”

“Would you believe if I say that I’m close to one of them?” Chaeryeong smirks.

Taehyun’s large eyes widened even more. “R-really?”

“Our family is close with the Hwangs.”

Hwangs. That would mean Hwang Yeji and Hwang Hyunjin, the famous twins of 3-Magic. Those two hold a great reputation in the academy. Both of them are members of the Rhythm Rebels, the esteemed dance crew of the school. Yeji also holds a position in the student council. Unfortunately, despite their fame, they don't really associate that much with the  _ normal  _ students and most people see them as a scary duo

“You are close to those ignorant twins?!” Kai exclaims, but shuts himself up when he remembers they are in the school cafeteria. Good thing no one is around aside from the staff. Talking shit about the student council or any of the higher-ups might cause trouble.

“More like I’m close to Yeji unnie,” Chaeryeong corrects. “I don’t like Hyunjin oppa’s attitude.”

“I’m pretty sure the twins have the same attitude,” Kai comments.

“Nah. Yeji unnie looks cold, but she’s actually really friendly. Just don’t rile her up if you don’t want to get on her bad side.”

Taehyun grimaces. “I’d rather not interact with them.”

“I can assure you that you'll get comfortable once you get to know her.”

_ I don't want to get involved with anyone from the student council. _

The blonde continues to eat while listening to Chaeryeong's narration and Kai's enthusiastic responses.  _ The food's delicious.  _ Taehyun never thought he could eat something from the cafeteria. In his two years in Alea Academy, he never ate anything from the place. One reason is that he can’t afford it. He just brings his own food and eats them in the restroom just to make sure that no one gets them.

“Thank you for the treat, Chaeryeong noona!” both boys exclaimed as they finally finished the food.

“You’re welcome, boys.” The girl smiles. “Shall we head home?”

“I’ll go to the restroom first,” Taehyun says once they’re out of the cafeteria. “Wait for me by the gate.” 

“Do you want me to come with you?”

“Eww, no, Kai.”

“It’s not like I’m gonna enter the cubicle with you!”

Taehyun rolls his eyes, then pushes Kai. “Just wait for me with Chaeryeong noona before I kick your balls!”

The said girl laughs at Taehyun’s statement. “Go now, Tae,” Chaeryeong tells the blonde as she ushers Kai away from Taehyun.

Taehyun sighs and makes his way to the restroom. As he expected, he looks shitty.  _ I should have not looked in the mirror.  _ He goes inside a cubicle to do his business. After that, he washes his hands and rushes out of the restroom, not wanting to make Kai and Chaeryeong wait a little longer.

He glances at his watch and sees that it’s already 4:30 pm.  _ I need to hurry or I’ll be doomed.  _ He looks down on his clothes, fixing it a bit to look a little decent when he goes home. It’s just he didn’t notice another guy coming through his way. He bumps into the guy and Taehyun didn’t even bother to look at him. He hastily says sorry and bowed a lot before starting to walk away.

“My, my, where are you going?” The guy yanks Taehyun’s wrist, not letting him get away. 

“I-i’m sorry! I was in a rush and I need to go home immediately. I’m sorry!” the blonde rambled and bows again. Then he looks up and sees a handsome boy, probably around his age or a year older.  _ He looks so familiar.  _ The guy has raven black hair and is a little taller than Taehyun. For some reason, Taehyun feels like he’s gonna pass out just because of the other guy’s presence.

The black-haired boy inspects Taehyun and his eyes gleam when he sees a familiar necklace. “So you’re a slave?”

Taehyun’s eyes widened.  _ Oh, fuck. I cannot stay a little longer at school right now. _ “Y-yes. P-please spare me, I’m in a hurry!”

The taller one raises an eyebrow, still not letting go of Taehyun’s wrist. “What’s your name? What class are you in?” Of course, Taehyun needs to answer that. The guy is obviously not a slave like him and is probably in the higher ranks.

“I… I’m Kang Taehyun from class 2-Eternity.” Taehyun notices a small change in the guy’s expression, but it immediately goes back to a cold demeanor.

“Ah, I see.” The guy gives Taehyun a smile, that kind of smile that will send shivers down your spine. “How come I didn’t know that there’s a cute slave like you?”

Taehyun’s face flushed. “W-what?!”

“So the Kang Taehyun that Soobin hyung talked about earlier is a really pretty boy.”

Taehyun ignores the compliment, focusing on the other part of the guy’s statement.  _ He is close with Choi Soobin?!  _ Taehyun’s heart pulsates wildly, thinking of all the students that the student council president is possibly close with. 

Soobin isn’t really sociable and is only close to those of the higher ranks. And by higher ranks, it means the officers of the student council. Taehyun’s mind went foggy when he finally realized who the guy he just bumped into.

“You…” Taehyun stammers. “Y-you’re Choi Beomgyu.”  _ The treasurer of the student council, the craziest gambler you could find. _

This guy is always in gambling sessions. Taehyun, of course, already heard a lot about him. A rumor says that some student attempted suicide because they weren’t able to pay the huge debt they had on Beomgyu. Some say he’s too crazy for someone to handle.

Beomgyu smirks. “You’re actually really interesting.”

Taehyun knows he has to get the fuck away from Beomgyu, but it feels like his feet was glued to the ground. Plus, the other is still gripping his wrist. Taehyun admits that he’s scared of Beomgyu. He’s so wrong to think that Soobin is enough to scare him. Beomgyu is on a different spectrum. This guy has a different kind of aura. Beomgyu has been staring and inspecting him for a few moments. If looks could kill, Taehyun is probably six feet under the ground now.

“Hey, angel, why do you look so scared of me?” Beomgyu pouts. “I don’t bite, you know?” It didn’t help ease Taehyun’s fear. His heart pounded even more because of that nickname Beomgyu just called him.

Taehyun repeatedly bows to Beomgyu. “I-i’m sorry for bumping into you earlier.” 

“Stop doing that.” 

“What?”

“Stop bowing. You look stupid.”

The blonde doesn’t need to be told twice, so he stops bowing. “I’m sorry,” Taehyun mutters in the smallest voice he could muster. He can’t even look at Beomgyu straight into the eye.

“No, it’s fine. I’ll let you pass for now because you’re pretty,” Beomgyu replies, smirking at Taehyun’s small figure. Right at that time, the blonde literally has his head down, curling even more to himself to look smaller than he is.

“T-thank you!” 

“Yeah, go ahead before I change my mind.”

Taehyun immediately bowed and ran faster than Usain Bolt when Beomgyu said that. Heck. He was freaking out! He is grateful to all the gods above that he survived that  _ small  _ interaction with Beomgyu. 

“Tae, what took you so long? Did something happen?” Kai asks, genuinely concerned.

“Hey, are you okay?” Chaeryeong adds when Taehyun didn’t respond to his best friend.

The two have been worried that Taehyun took a long time and almost went back inside to check on him. It just happened that Taehyun is  _ finally  _ out when they decide to go back in. They both notice how Taehyun is profusely sweating and his face is as red as a tomato.

“N-nothing.”

“Are you sure?”

Taehyun smiles, internally trying to forget what happened. Beomgyu really flustered and scared Taehyun at the same time, giving the latter a hard time processing everything. “Yeah. Let’s just go home.”

On the other hand, Beomgyu watched Taehyun sprint off with a mischievous grin on his face. He was supposed to go to the cafeteria to buy food for everyone.  _ Fuck food, I have an amazing news for them.  _ He goes back to the student council office empty-handed.

“What took you – yah! You didn’t buy any food?!” Ryujin exclaims.

Beomgyu ignores his cousin and takes his seat. “I met Kang Taehyun.” He then proceeds to glare at Soobin. “You didn’t tell me he’s pretty! He looks like an angel!” The black-haired boy earns a collective groan from everyone.

“What the fuck?” Yeji huffs. “You didn’t buy any food, then you’re coming back here just to tell us that Kang Taehyun is pretty?!”

“Unbelievable,” Yeonjun comments and facepalms.

“Choi Beomgyu,” Soobin calls. “I’ve read you enough for me to know that you have other things in your mind than calling Kang Taehyun pretty.”

Beomgyu beams at that. “Bingo! I can’t believe you know me better than my sister and cousin.”

“Shut up,” Lia chides and rolls his eyes.

“What kind of insanity do you have in your mind right now?” Yeonjun asks, obviously interested.

Beomgyu lets out the craziest smile that he only shows to the student council. “I have a very special plan for Kang Taehyun.”

  
  
  



	4. 004

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy valentine's day !!

Yeonjun’s worries never left him as the talk about life plans progressed. He’s concerned. He has so many  _ what-ifs  _ about Taehyun. He hasn’t seen the younger boy gamble. What if that guy is just playing around and pretends that he isn’t good? What if Taehyun is just bluffing and he actually has  _ plans  _ to overthrow each and everyone in the student council? 

All he knows is that Taehyun never won a single match ever since he entered Alea Academy. He also heard that the boy is too poor in gambling to save his dear life. What if all those losses are just some playful act just for the whole school to see Taehyun as an underdog until he attacks the student council silently?

Yeonjun cannot let the student council fall into demise. “Let’s say that Kang Taehyun wins, what are you planning after that?” the cotton candy-haired boy asks Beomgyu.

The younger snorts. “It’s impossible for him to win. If he’s good at gambling, he could have saved himself from being ranked 540. He doesn’t look that stupid to make himself suffer based on what I saw on him yesterday.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Of course,” Beomgyu replies smugly. “I am never wrong, hyung.” 

Yeonjun badly wanted to wipe out that smirk on Beomgyu’s face. He knows that Beomgyu tends to go overboard that even Lia, his sister, can’t control him. The only few people who can somehow tame the younger are Soobin and him. 

“Beomgyu,” Yeonjun calls out. The younger boy gives him a curious look. “Yeah?”

“Please be careful.”

“Yeah, I will,” Beomgyu says. “Thanks.”

Yeonjun then glances at Soobin who looks pleased with what’s happening. This is all his plan and it started because of his persistence. Yeonjun, of course, is feeling anxious about it. The life plans can cause a ruckus and most students will do their best to avoid it. This may lead to another reason why the student council might fall.

_ What will I do about you, Soobin and Beomgyu? _

* * *

Yeonjun dreaded the next day. His concerns never left him and he hasn’t slept a blink because of it. It is a foggy and rainy morning, and Yeonjun feels so drained as if some force sipped all the energy he has for the next decade of his life. He just came from another early student council meeting so Yeji, his classmate in 3-Magic, is also with him on the way to his class. Yeonjun was greeted by some students who found him nice. He has a pretty good image in Alea Academy. He has heard rumors about him that he’s the kindest officer, the one who will smile back or will help you stand up when you trip. Yeonjun believes that students see him that way only because they haven’t seen him gamble at least once. On the other hand, students also lowkey wanted to bow down because they felt intimidated by the girl with him right now. 

They reached their classroom and as usual, the class went quiet when they entered. It was like a routine for their classmates. They see them as higher-ups, which is a fact, and they do different sorts of absurd things just to please them. They do that as a sign of respect and also to give time for both Yeonjun and Yeji to make sure they’re comfortable.

Yeonjun finds this ridiculous if he is being honest. They are also students and the only thing that somehow separates them is their rankings when it comes to gambling. He sits on his chair at the back, beside Yeji. The said girl signals the class to go back to their own business.

“Yeonjun.” He hears Yeji’s voice even before Yeonjun’s mind decides to space out again. “Why were you so tense during the meeting earlier?”

The said boy blinks. “I’m just worried,” he answers honestly. “Worried for both Soobin and Beomgyu.” There is no point in hiding things from Yeji. The girl is very perceptive and she can easily read Yeonjun like an open book. Yeonjun can say that Yeji is his best friend, the person he can rely on when times are going hard. Despite being a year older, he even allowed Yeji to speak to him informally, without the use of “oppa” or anything like that.

Yeji nods in understanding. “Ah, I see. I can’t believe you can put up to their asses.”

Yeonjun chuckles at that. “I know. It’s a pain, really.” He sighs. “Those two are something else. I don’t know how I kept up with them.”

“Tell me about it!” Yeonjun smiles at Yeji’s enthusiasm. He’s just so thankful that he has a close friend like her. Yeji is always so curious about Yeonjun and he is willing to tell her things.

The pink-haired boy sighs. “Well, you girls see us as crazy gamblers, right?” 

Yeji nods. “Duh! If you play in official matches, the other students will literally cry because of you.”

Yeonjun thinks about it. What could actually happen if he played against other students? Yes, he never played against them. Also, among all the officers of the current student council, only Soobin and Yeji  _ saw _ him gamble. All the other officers know what kind of  _ monster  _ Yeonjun is solely based on stories only. If either Soobin or Yeji says that the pink-haired boy is a monster gambler, then it is true. Beomgyu has always wanted to play against Yeonjun, but he respects the older boy too much to challenge him.

“I am not as crazy as those two. Playing against Soobin or Beomgyu is the worst thing people can experience,” Yeonjun says, defending himself. “I am nothing against them, to be honest.”

“You haven’t played against Beomgyu, though,” Yeji pointed out.

“But I already saw how Beomgyu floored lots of students. I witnessed most of his official games, even the small matches. Almost everyone he played against became slaves,” Yeonjun rebuts. 

“Alright, I get your point.” Yeji huffs. “How about Soobin?”

Yeonjun sighs at the thought of Soobin. Among all the people Yeonjun interacted with, the president is the hardest person to read. It took a long time for Yeonjun to understand the younger boy. Soobin is also a very good gambler. Yeonjun played against him just for fun and he lost drastically. The blue-haired boy is a gentle giant but can turn into a beast who can sweep off everyone. Despite being like that, Yeonjun finds comfort and warmth from Soobin. 

“Soobin is really unpredictable. It’s difficult to know what’s running inside his mind.”

The girl nods in affirmation. “That’s true. I was really surprised that he wants to push those life plans. It was brutal! I am not even surprised that Beomgyu agrees to him.”

“It’s all because of one guy.” Yeonjun gives Yeji a knowing look. “Kang Taehyun.”

“Are we sure they aren’t interested in Kang Taehyun in  _ that  _ way?”

The vice president caught on to what Yeji is trying to say. He smiles and looks at the girl confidently. “Soobin isn’t. I  _ know _ it.”

Yeji rolls her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, Soobin is head over heels for his beautiful vice president which happens to be you.”

Yeonjun’s cheeks are suddenly tainted with pink. “O-oh shut u-up, Yeji!” he stuttered, which earned a chortle from the younger girl. 

“You stuttered!”

“Shut up!”

“Yeah, I will shut up just for the sake of your red ears,” Yeji laughs. “You’re equally whipped for each other and it’s so painfully obvious that Lia and I wanted to set you up on a date, but both of you are too smart to be fooled.”

Yeonjun giggles at that. “We’re also too busy for dates.”

“Oh, wait! Who confessed?”

Yeonjun’s eyebrows furrowed. “No one confessed.”

The girl’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?! How come you know each other’s feelings, but no one confessed?”

“We are just aware, but you know how his personality clashes with mine. We’re both too prideful to actually say it,” Yeonjun casually tells Yeji as if his words are scripted and perfectly constructed. “I’m not even ready for commitment.”

“You two are the biggest idiots.”

“Oh, please, Yeji. You have the longest pining for Lia and you won’t be even together if I didn’t lock you up inside the office.”

“I hate that you’re right.” Yeji leans back on her seat. She gives the older boy a canny stare. “How about Beom, though?”

The vice president thinks about it for a moment. As far as he knows, yesterday was the first time Beomgyu interacted with Taehyun. The raven-haired boy probably didn’t even know that Taehyun exists despite being a student council officer who also supervises debts. They are in the same year but different classes.  _ And oh _ , Beomgyu also found the blonde boy  _ pretty _ . 

“Beomgyu likes pretty things. The problem is that Kang Taehyun isn’t even a  _ thing _ ,” Yeonjun trails off, his voice laced with uneasiness. “I’m afraid Kang Taehyun might end up being one of Beomgyu’s toys.”

“Typical Beomgyu,” Yeji comments. “If I’m going to ask you, who is the craziest one? Choi Yeonjun, Choi Soobin, or Choi Beomgyu?”

“Choi Beomgyu, no doubt,” Yeonjun answers without a second thought. He doesn’t need to ponder for that as the answer is so obvious for him already. “That guy’s life is bizarre and his mind is just…” The boy pauses. 

“Yeonjun?”

The said boy looks straight at the chalkboard, staring at it with dazed eyes. “It’s so easy to describe Beomgyu, especially if you’re a student who sees him gamble on a daily basis.”

Yeji looks at him curiously. “What do you mean?”

“Beomgyu is a deranged gambling maniac. He’ll do anything to enjoy himself, even if it means using other people.”

* * *

Lunch. Another time of the day that Yeonjun doesn’t really look forward to. 

He went to the cafeteria with Yeji and met up with their fellow third year officers, Soobin and Lia. Yeji is going to announce the life plans agenda in the cafeteria after she finishes her food. To say that Yeonjun is nervous is an understatement. He is  _ terrified _ . He feels edgy by just thinking of the students’ reactions and opinions. It’s not like they can do something about it, though. Whatever the student council deems acceptable and correct, no one can argue.

But Yeonjun isn’t Yeonjun without his worries.

“Ah, Yeonjun oppa is spacing out again,” Lia suddenly says as she gives the oldest among the four of them a quizzical gaze. “He always does that.”

Soobin, who is sitting in front of Yeonjun, glances at the said boy. “He spaces out on a daily basis. It’s a lifestyle already. What’s new?”

“Please, he must be thinking of ways to improve his physical strength,” Yeji adds.

The pink-haired boy playfully glares at the three. “I can’t believe that I’m experiencing a Choi Yeonjun slander right now, exactly in the middle of my meal!”

“We all know you have something in your mind right now.” Soobin rolls his eyes but proceeds to look at Yeonjun softly. “Mind telling us what’s bugging you?”

Yeonjun looks up to see Soobin curiously looking at him. He figures that the Soobin in front of him right now isn’t the same Soobin he witnessed earlier and yesterday in the student council meeting. It is common knowledge in the council that Soobin has a soft spot for Yeonjun and he becomes a different person when it comes to him.

“Don’t worry, Soobin,” Yeonjun says. “I’m doing great.”

“Oh, come on, Yeonjun!” Yeji butts in. “We all know you’re worried about the life plans.” Yeonjun actually glares at Yeji when she says that. He didn’t want Soobin to know that he’s obviously afraid of the life plans and everything around it. 

Soobin lightly chuckles then ruffles Yeonjun’s pink hair. “It’ll be okay. This will be fun.”

_ Fun.  _ Of course, that’s how Soobin will describe the situation. He might be kind and gentle, but his actual persona involves taunting lower people and using his power over them. For Soobin, playing with others’ lives is his form of fun and pleasure. Like how Yeonjun described the president, Soobin is unpredictable.

“It isn’t reassuring, Soobin.” Yeonjun swats Soobin’s hand from his hair. The younger boy pouts but doesn’t do anything. Well, at least he tried, right?

“I cannot stand you two,” Lia says before turning to Yeji. “How about you just announce the life plans? I’ll come with you in the broadcasting room.”

“Oh, right.” The cat-eyed girl stands up, then looks at the two boys. “Bye, I’m gonna tell the whole empire about the special treat!” Yeonjun didn’t miss the spark of excitement in Yeji’s eyes. He knows that Yeji is a kind and understanding girl, but the thrill and excitement never leave her veins. She’s known to be impulsive when she gets hyper.

The two girls left the table, leaving Yeonjun with Soobin. The latter has a glint of elation in his eyes. Yeonjun looks away from Soobin and decides to examine his surroundings. Of course, there are lots of students now in the cafeteria. Most of them are in the higher ranks, whilst the slaves are either getting ordered around or just somewhere away from everyone.

Yeonjun looks for Beomgyu and finds him nowhere. The older boy assumes that Beomgyu skipped lunch again to go to a casino some blocks away from the academy. Yeonjun sighs at the thought of Beomgyu going crazy and mortifying businessmen in a casino, a place where he isn’t supposed to go.

He then saw Kang Taehyun at a table with Lee Chaeryeong and Hueningkai. Yeonjun was quite surprised that someone who is in a very decent rank like Chaeryeong allowed not only one, but  _ two  _ slaves to sit with her.  _ They must be close friends.  _ Glancing at Taehyun, Yeonjun grows anxious. The poor boy doesn't know what’s coming to him later and Yeonjun is scared that Taehyun might faint or something like that. Yeonjun then fixes his gaze on the other boy at the table.  _ What a very familiar face.  _ He knows Kai personally, but that’s for another story.

Yeonjun was caught off guard when the sharp and screeching sound of the speaker blared throughout the whole area. As if it was a command, the students quickly settled on their places. 

_ This is it. Yeji is finally going to announce whatever shit’s gonna happen. _

“Good day, lovely students of Alea Academy!” The girl’s bouncy and energetic voice boomed from the speaker. “This is Hwang Yeji of the student council! I need everyone’s attention as I have a very important announcement.”

“I’m excited.” Soobin’s eyes turned into crescents as he smiled, though in a menacing way.

“The student council decided to make some special changes regarding the rankings, especially for the slaves,” Yeonjun swore he felt Yeji’s triumphal jumping based on her jubilant voice from the speaker. “The student council talked about placing life plans for every slave who won’t be able to pay until the given deadline.”

Beside Yeonjun, Soobin looks so proud. It was his idea, his knowledge. Of course, he would be proud that his  _ masterpiece _ is finally coming to life.

“What are life plans? These are simply documents that state everything that the student council will do or assign for you if and only if you didn’t get to pay the high amount of debt you currently have. These documents will be given to slaves only.”

Multiple whispers and small buzzes are heard all over the cafeteria. Yeonjun and Soobin couldn’t clearly understand what the others were saying, but they are sure that most slaves are on the verge of crying now. Yeonjun can also feel piercing gazes behind his back. He’s thinking that some people are probably glaring at him for having such an idea. Those people might even want to fight, but can’t do anything. Again, it’s the student council’s decision. Protesting against a powerful group of students might end you up in an unfortunate situation.

“The giving of life plans will start tomorrow. This day can be spent by gambling so we can finalize the recipients of these life plans. Official matches against the higher ranking students as well as student council officers will also be opened for everyone.” Yeji’s voice from the speaker is firm and commanding. Yeonjun is right for suggesting Yeji as the speaker of the council.

“Vice president Choi Yeonjun will not be participating in official matches as he will supervise a few. I, Hwang Yeji, will also be supervising. That’s it for the announcement. Further information will be displayed through the televisions inside the school. Thank you and have a nice day, Alea Academy!”

And that's it. The students went back to their own businesses, but Yeonjun is sure that everyone is so ready to gamble again. He looks at Taehyun over their table and his heart sinks when he sees the blonde crying. Both Chaeryeong and Kai scooted closer to their tiny friend, comforting him. He feels a pang of guilt in his whole existence but decides to disregard it for now.

“Oh, Kang Taehyun is crying,” Soobin nonchalantly says. “He is so fucked up if he won’t be able to pay his debts.”

Yeonjun shakes his head and stands up from his seat, his world spinning a bit as he did so. “You know what Beomgyu can do, Soobin. It might be dangerous for Kang Taehyun. Honestly, this system is so fucked up.”

Soobin notices that Yeonjun is a little annoyed and frustrated. He also stands up then takes a deep breath before walking to Yeonjun to place an arm around the older boy’s shoulder. “Come on. I know you’re done here.” He ushers Yeonjun out of the cafeteria.

Yeonjun sighs in relief, his whole soul feeling a bit better after getting dragged out of the cafeteria. He doesn’t want to see more crying students and being inside the cafeteria suffocates him. He’s grateful that Soobin took him out of the crowded place.

“Let’s just go to the office, hm?” Soobin pulled the pink-haired boy closer to him and they started making their way to the office.

“Thank you, Soobin,” Yeonjun managed to croak out when he finally flopped himself on a sofa inside the office. He didn’t know why, but he just feels  _ so  _ tired and drained. He wants to go home and just lie down on his bed and sleep as much as he wants. Oh, did I mention that his head hurts so much? Yeah, your vice president is starting to suffer from a migraine, too.

“Why do you seem so tired today, Yeonjun hyung?” Soobin leaned down to check on the older boy. “Are you okay? Do you want to sleep?”

Yeonjun shakes his head but immediately regrets it because he almost saw black. “Just sit beside me, Soobin.”

The younger boy did as he was told. Soobin scoots closer to Yeonjun, the latter immediately making himself comfortable by leaning on the other’s shoulder. The vice president instantly relaxed as he basked himself with Soobin’s warmth. 

“Are you sure you don’t want to sleep, hyung? You’ve been like this since the day started.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine,” Yeonjun says, his voice a little shaky. “I still have to supervise some matches later.”

“I can ask the other officers to do that.”

“No. I’m sure they would want to gamble. Plus, many students are expecting some games against them.”

“I’ll observe for you.”

“Soobin, you’re the president. You’re supposed to play if someone challenges you.”

“But no one wants to play against me aside from that cheeky rotten cabbage of a bear who goes by the name Choi Beomgyu!” the president whines, childishly pouting even. “I’m tired of Beomgyu’s ugly face.” Yeonjun chuckles at Soobin’s attitude. This side of the mighty Choi Soobin rarely appears and it mostly shows when they are alone.

“Don’t be stubborn,” Yeonjun mutters, his eyes tightly closed. “We have important matters as the superior officers. What’s the student council’s motto again, Bin?”

Soobin huffs, leaning even closer to Yeonjun if that’s possible. “ _ Responsibility and power come first more than anything. _ ”

“Good thing you still remember.”

Yeonjun internally frowns when he remembers how they came up with that motto. It started when Soobin became the president. The council came up with that ridiculous line. For Yeonjun, it’s absurd and it sounds ironic that responsibility sits on the same table as power. Yeonjun is sure that the staff and students see them as greedy kids who merely do shit just for power and money. It’s not like they started the system of gambling in Alea Academy. They are also students who have a sense of duty and authority within themselves. It’s just they are stepping on a pedestal that makes them higher and more powerful against others. They take advantage of that power and are responsible for it. Hence, the motto.

The pink-haired boy was snapped out of his train of thoughts when the sound of the loud bell boomed all over the school, indicating the end of lunchtime. It also means that a lot of gambling games will finally commence. Just a few moments and some officer of the council or a club member will be barging into the room.

He is proven right when Yeji comes into sight, not so subtly eyeing Soobin and Yeonjun who are currently curled up together on the sofa. “Yeonjun, your presence is needed.”

Yeonjun visibly groaned. “Why? I thought you’ll also supervise?”

“It's for the Rhythm Rebels, idiot!”

Yeonjun’s eyes perked up at that, confusion written on his face. “What? As far as I know, there is no slave from Rhythm Rebels. I may be kind to slaves, but I don’t allow them in the club unless it’s a recommendation.” 

Disbelief morphs as Yeji’s new expression before she heaves an exaggerated sigh. “You’re unbelievable! The Rebels are known to host official gambling games within the group! You should know that.”

“Supervise it yourself.”

Soobin decides to pipe up in the conversation. “I don’t want you to go to those gambling sessions, but you’re the captain of Rhythm Rebels, Yeonjun hyung. They need you there, especially at this critical time.”

“Exactly!” Yeji exclaims. “Get your ass up before I drag you myself.”

“Fine,” Yeonjun grumbles, his head still aching a bit. He sits up properly then looks at the blue-haired boy beside him. “Soobin, can you get me my meds?” The said boy just nodded and stood up to get what Yeonjun needed.

“Hold up!” Yeji exclaims. “Are you sick?”

“I’ll be okay.”

“What-”

“Here are the meds, hyung.” Soobin comes backs with some mysterious medicine as well as a bottle of painkillers. “Thanks, Soobin.” After taking the medicines, Yeonjun bids goodbye to Soobin and goes out of the room with Yeji.

“Yah! What happened to you?” Yeji asks as she checks on Yeonjun who looks so close to actually passing out. “I didn’t even notice that you are  _ this _ pale!”

“I’ll be fine once the medicine kicks in.”

The cat-eyed girl lets out an exasperated sigh. “You can go back to the office and just rest.”

“Like you and Soobin both said, I’m the captain of the Rhythm Rebels,” Yeonjun mumbles. “I should be there.”

“You monster,” Yeji quietly says. Yeonjun hears this but doesn't retort. He knows to himself that Yeji is right. He’s a monster, let it be gambling or just in general.

The two officers quietly saunter down the hallways of the academy despite the chaos quickly unfolding right in front of their eyes. Students are scampering around, some are yelling at each other and asking if they want to play. The students gamble everytime they have a chance. It can be just small playful games within themselves or grand matches that involve rankings and the magnificent student council.  _ Funny.  _ Yeji thinks. Most students entered the school with little to no knowledge about gambling, but they ended up going crazy and addicted to not-so-peculiar games.

As they arrive at their destination, the members of Rhythm Rebels immediately acknowledge Yeonjun and Yeji’s presence. 

“Good afternoon, Yeji noona, Yeonjun sunbae,” a first year member who goes by the name Ni-ki greets the two.

Yeonjun frowns. “Yah, Nishimura Riki, I already told you before to call me hyung. You’re literally my best friend’s cousin.”

Ni-ki scratches his nape. “Sorry, Yeonjun h-hyung. I’m still not used to it”

The older boy chuckles as he ruffles Ni-ki’s hair. “It’s okay. You have the whole year to get used to it.”

“Why do you look pale, though, hyung?”

“He saw a cockroach before coming here,” Yeji interferes, earning a playful glare from Yeonjun and a small laugh from her cousin. “Yeonjun is afraid of cockroaches.”

“Cockroaches?” Ni-ki tilts his head curiously. “I didn’t know you’re a wimp, Yeonjun hyung.”

“He  _ is _ a wimp!”

“Yah, Yeji and Ni-ki! Why are you ganging up on me? I am not afraid of cockroaches!”

The other members of the Rhythm Rebels watched the interaction with amused expressions on their faces, but didn’t say anything. As the officers of the student council and the core members of the club, they hold so much respect for both Yeonjun and Yeji.

“Having fun without me?”

Yeji rolls her eyes when she hears a very familiar voice. “Hyunjin, what a great entrance.” A boy with fairly long blonde hair, similar cat-like eyes to Yeji, and remarkable tall height gracefully walks towards the club captain. His presence screams intimidating, so much like Yeji.

Hyunjin ignores his twin sister’s remark and dubiously eyes Yeonjun. Suddenly, he dramatically gasps, purposely ridiculing Yeonjun. “Oh, we’re honored! The infamous vice president is gracing us with his very lovely, special, and undivided presence.”

Yeonjun sneers at the other boy. “Fuck off, Hyunjin.”

The other boy chuckles. “Woah! I didn’t know that the vice president who acts like a porcelain doll can actually curse. Keep it up, fox.”

“First of all, I don’t act like a porcelain doll. It isn’t my fault that you act so rashly and can break shit easily that you see me as such. Secondly, yes, I curse. I ain’t that clean, what the fuck. Lastly, don’t call me fox. I don’t appreciate nicknames from someone like you, Hwang Hyunjin.” 

Hyunjin is about to retort but Yeji shoots him a glare and gets in between the two boys. “Can you just shut up, Hyunjin? You’re disrespecting Yeonjun. He’s your superior here. You didn’t even attend the morning classes!”

The Rhythm Rebels can feel the pressure lingering in the area, causing a heavy atmosphere. It is tough for them, witnessing the unnecessary quarrel that is going on. It is not new that Hyunjin taunts Yeonjun whenever he has a chance, but Yeonjun has not in any way fired back before. Yeonjun is always silent, just observing and reading the scene. He speaks up, yes, but not in a way he'll curse or be rude.

On the outside, Yeonjun looks composed as if he can take on anything. Unfortunately for him, his insides are already flipping around and his resolve is about to crumble.  _ Do I really act like a porcelain doll? _

Hyunjin raises an eyebrow before he scoffs. “I am not gonna respect someone who hasn’t proven himself.” He shoves Yeji away and goes straight to Yeonjun. “You’re nothing without your position in the student council, Choi Yeonjun.” With that, he walks away, bumping Yeonjun’s shoulder in the process.

The vice president almost stumbles down but Yeji gets a hold of him. Even Ni-ki supported him from the back. “Are you okay, Yeonjun hyung?” Ni-ki asks.

Yeonjun didn’t speak. He looks around, taking a good glance of everyone.  _ Why are they looking at me as if I am about to die?  _ Yeji hasn’t let go of his arm and Ni-ki is still behind him. 

“Yeonjun?” He hears Yeji’s faint voice. “You good?” He wanted to say no, but his throat feels so arid. All the air in his lungs seems like it is being sucked out. 

“Hey, Yeonjun.”

Yeonjun starts to feel light-headed and his mind is about to get blank. The world around him becomes unnoticed, his brain just focusing on his doubts.  _ Do I even deserve to be the captain of this club? Is it justified for me to stay on the student council? Am I just nothing?  _ His knees are already wobbling, his own body betraying him.

_ You’re so fucking fragile, Choi Yeonjun. _

All Yeonjun heard were people screaming his name before his world turned black.

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> follow me on twitter @csoobgyu :">


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